I'm Here For You
by Total Percabeth
Summary: Hazel gets worried when hearing what Leo talks about when he thinks no one but Festus is around to hear, and she gets the other to listen, hoping to help him without directly confronting him. (Mentions of Past Child Abuse)


Piper woke up to Hazel shaking her awake.

"What's wrong?"

Hazel shook her head and placed a finger to her lips, signaling for Piper to be quiet, and made a gesture for her to follow.

In the hall Jason, Frank, Percy, and Annabeth were waiting for them.

"What's going on?"

"I wanted you guys to see something. Leo's talking to Festus."

"So?"

"I think that you should hear what he says. Sometimes he scares me with what he says about himself. It sounds like he believes Nemesis." Hazel had told them what Nemesis told Leo. If he started to believe it…

"I don't know, isn't that an invasion of privacy?" Percy asked doubtfully. "Shouldn't we just, yanno, talk to him tomorrow or something?"

"I know, but you know how Leo is, he would feel ambushed and uncomfortable if we all tried to talk to him about this all at once. I was hoping that maybe if you all heard what he thinks, that we could change his way of thinking by subtly showing that we care for him."

"That does make sense," Annabeth stated matter-of-factly. "Leo has run away before, I don't think it would be a good idea to try to force to talk to him about something so personal."

Percy still had a look on his face that showed that he wasn't completely comfortable with the plan, but he sighed and nodded his head.

"Come." Hazel led them down the hall and before they stepped out onto the deck she turned around before speaking.

"Stay in the shadows, and stay quiet."

They walked out very quietly and spread out along the deck so they wouldn't be in one spot.

Leo was hanging upside down off the railing by his legs building something with an iPod beside his head on the deck. Festus snorted and Leo rolled his eyes.

"Of course my head is red. When you hang upside down the blood rushes to your head, making it turn red." Festus tilted his head as if to listen to something, and turned his head around to look at Leo and snorted again.

"No," Leo got down and wobbled a little when he stood, before shaking his head to clear off the dizziness that overcame him. He picked up the iPod. "I took it apart and replaced some parts, that I'm not going to explain to you because you wouldn't understand, so that it won't attract monsters. And I also downloaded some music. Easy stuff."

He jumped onto the railing and just stood there, looking out into the night, and sighed as Festus whittled his teeth.

"Festus, if I fall, then I fall. No big deal."

Piper stared at Leo in horror. He didn't care if he fell? At first Piper didn't believe Hazel when she said that Leo was taking Nemesis' words to heart, but now.

"Okay, yeah, I'm one of the seven, but seven is an odd number and one is always left over. Thats me."

Festus growled.

"Yes its me, and no, I'm not singing to you tonight."

Festus whirled his teeth.

"Fine. This is the last time, understand?"

Piper stared at Leo. Sing? Had she heard right?

Leo sighed before taking a breath and started to sing.

Piper was completely shocked because not only did she not know that Leo could sing, but that he was probably the best singer she had ever heard, and she had met a lot of celebrities.

Leo let out a sigh.

"I don't know what I'm going to do. I keep messing up, I'm bad luck. I probably should run again so no one else gets hurt."

Festus hissed while whirling his teeth and turned his head to look around at Leo.

"No, Festus. They won't care. Jason and Piper don't hang out with me anymore, even though they're my best friends. Percy and Annabeth, well I don't know, and Hazel and Frank, Frank's always glaring at me as if he wants to kill me and and I'm worried that I will burn his lifeline and then it would be the second time I killed someone with fire. It's hard because of my abilities. Do you know how it is to be so unpredictable that I will hurt them or if I get close to them, that they would abandon me like Aunt Rosa. Or if they're abusive like a few of my foster families. I probably should run again when we next land. I've been here for too long. Anyhoo, g'night buddy. I gotta go wake Jason for the next shift."

That's when Jason walked out.

"Oh, hey Jason. I was about to go get you."

"I know, I heard."

Leo froze.

"How much did you hear?"

"Not a lot. Leo, why didn't you tell me about those families?"

Leo looked down before he whispered.

"I didn't want to remember." He looked up at Jason with tears in his eyes. "I wanted to forget about how they treated me. How they hurt me, cursing me with everything under the sun, threatening me. How the would hit me and whip me and throw me in a locked closet in the basement without food, water, or anything to help ease the pain. How they hated me, and got other kids at school to bully me too."

Leo's voice was rising with every word he spoke. By the end his voice was trembling and he had tears running down his cheeks Leo looked down at the ground, having a hard time looking Jason in the eyes.

"I didn't want to remember, and…" Leo took a shuddering breath. "And I didn't want to burden you with knowing how they treated me." He took a deep breath to regain his composure. "But it's fine. I'm okay."

Jason put a finger under Leo's chin, making him look up.

"Leo, I wish you told me. I want you to know that you are _never_ a burden. Not now, not ever. You're my best friend, Leo, and I _never_ want you to feel like you have to run away to protect us. Please don't think that being alone is all you have, that being alone protects you. It's not true, because friends protect people. Remember that, and remember that I'm here for you, if you ever need to talk. Okay?"

Leo nodded and Jason stepped forward and brought Leo into a hug. As he pulled away he kissed Leo lightly on the forehead.

"Now go get some sleep."

Leo nodded tiredly and walked to the stairs, looking at Jason, mumbled 'g'night', and went down to his room.


End file.
